Some Apps You Need To Know About ...

Because who doesn't love a good app suggestion?? And if it makes you life easier so much the better! Here are a few that I've found handy on my adventures...

Google Maps - This ones pretty obvious ... but it's a must have when you're exploring new places! Just make sure you have a local data plan or using WiFi - no one wants to get stung by international roaming data fees (trust me! I speak from experience)

Uber - a 'rent a ride' driver service. This service can prove to be cheaper than traditional taxi companies. It's cashless with your fare charged through the app. You get a picture of the driver, the vehicle details and even the ability to track them on a map as they arrive. Just watch out for surcharges during certain times of the year.

Airbnb - I LOVE airbnb as an accommodation option. Especially if you're intending to stay more than a day or so. You can rent a room, an entire apartment or a whole house. When leaving for lengthy stays it's nice to stay in a more 'homey' environment as apposed to a sometime sterile hotel room.

Booking.com - A fantastic hotel reservation site. You can filter by WiFi, location, price, or other amenities that may be important to you. My favourite thing about this site is that many hotels listed offer free cancellations with no pre-payment needed. It's the perfect option when you aren't 100% sure of your plans. Plus they offer fantastic rates on listed hotels.

Hotels Combined - This app is essentially the same as Booking.com. I use this to double check that I'm getting the best deal available before usually booking through Booking.com

Skyscanner - Just what it says on the box. An app that lists thousands upon thousands of flights on offer to almost anywhere in the world with most airline carriers. What I love about this app is you can select "Everywhere" which shows you the cheapest flights to everywhere in the world... I'll probably be choosing my destination based on this awesome little feature.

Trip Advisor - A great resource of ratings, reviews and tips from other travelers. Check out reviews of where you're planning to stay, tips for what to see when you get there and advice about transport and almost everything else you'd need to know to plan your perfect trip.

Expedia - I mainly use this app for booking my rental car needs. You can compare different companies prices, options etc and book right though the app. It also means your bookings are kept in the one place.

Virgin Flight Specials - Because I'm a member of Virgin's Velocity frequent flyer program I always prefer to fly Virgin (and I've always been impressed with their service) whenever I can. So I always to a quick check to see if Virgin or one of their partner airlines are flying where I want to go.

Velocity Global Wallet - this is a prepaid reloadable Visa card. What's great about this one is you can load a myriad of different currencies on to the one card allowing you to bypass some of the foreign transaction fees you get stung with using your normal everyday debit card.

Kayak - Much like Expedia this app lists flights, hotels and car hire. I use this to check if there's a special I may have missed etc. This is probably one of my least used apps.

Tip N Split - Since we don't customarily tip in Australia I've downloaded this app so I can easily figure out what tip to leave as I travel in parts of the USA.

Currency Converter - It's always handy to be able to have a rough idea of how much you're actually paying in your own currency ... because some things may not be quite the bargain you think

Wunderlist - Especially when I'm about to go on an adventure I'm a bit of a lover of lists. What to take, what not to take, what needs charging, what's hand luggage etc. The great thing about this app is it syncs between devices and you can attach photos of items listed

WhatsApp/Telegram/Facebook Messenger - All of these apps let you stay in touch with loved ones back home - side note: call your mum!. Set them to only work through Wifi and you can communicate with anyone in the world for free